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Namkeen ghoogri chaat - Wheat berry Indian risotto

Gajar ka halwa, sarsoon ka saag, pao bhaji, ladoo - I love devouring in comfort food during winters. People have a myth that ghee is bad for health. On the contrary, ghee keeps us healthy if we eat it in moderation. I have a belief that body metabolism increases during winters, why else would we be able to digest ghee enriched food and sweets like til-gur ka ladoo and gaund ka ladoo. I hate it when people criticize Indian food and call it heavy and oily. Indian cuisine incorporates oils, whole grains, spices which has numerous health beenfits. It utilizes seasonal produce to the fullest.

My best friend's mom introduced me to this dish. This dish originated in Udaipur city of Rajasthan. The day I shot these pictures was the 5th time in a row I made it for Sunday breakfast in my new house. All my brother-in-law eats on Sunday is this!

This dish gets it deep flavour from cinnamon powder. I usually don't prefer cinnamon in savoury dishes but it works really well in this dish. It is best eaten with rice papad or home-made potato chips but it tastes delicious sans too.

Incase you are wondering if my last post Barley Soup and this dish is made of same grain, it's not!Though barley and wheat berry look alike (almost), they are not same. Wheat berry needs to be soaked for longer time compared to barley. Ghoogri (Wheat berry)is nothing but wheat grain with its husk removed. Both are healthy and delicious in soups, salads, stews and oatmeal.

Before naming this dish in English, I couldn't quite decide what to name it for international readers. Titles like Wheat berry porridge, wheat berry oatmeal ran through my mind. I finally settled to wheat berry Indian risotto! You can categorize it as porridge, oatmeal, risotto, hot salad or even Indian chaat!